News

The School of History Annual Prize-giving Ceremony, which took place on 3 February in the Aula Maxima, is an annual event celebrating the excellent achievements of students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. The event provides an opportunity for the staff of the School of History to acknowledge publicly and pay appropriate tribute to the inspiring work of those students. Prizes were awarded to the History Student of the Year in I, II and III Year, as well as at MA level, for work completed in the last academic year. Prizes were similarly awarded to European Studies and History of Art students for achievement at undergraduate level.

The ‘Decade of Centenaries’ Irish History competition for schools (primary and post-primary) is an annual competition sponsored by the Department of Education and Skills and the School of History, UCC. It is also supported by History Ireland magazine. A letter, which has been sent out to schools across the country, provides details on the competition. This letter is available in English and Irish language versions by clicking on the links below. Students may enter the competition with projects in either language. The closing date for project entries is Friday, 20 March 2020, and a prize-giving ceremony will take place in the Aula Maxima, UCC, in May 2020. For more details see www.education.ie/historycompetition.

On Saturday, 19th October, the School of History, in conjuction with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, will host a conference entitled 'Labour in the "War Zone": class, gender and the independence struggle in Munster, 1916-21.' The conference will take place in Boole 1 Lecture Theatre.

Congratulations to our graduate Laura Cashman (BA in Irish and History, MA in International Relations) who has been awarded an NUI travelling studentship. She was also the recipient of the NUI's Denis Phelan scholarship in 2018.

On Saturday 23 February Dr Donal Ó Drisceoil of the School of History delivered a keynote address entitled ''The War Zone': Reflections on the Brigade Activity Reports from Cork and Munster' at a symposium to mark the official launch of the Brigade Activity Reports series of the Military Service (1916-1923) Pensions Collection at Cathal Brugha Barracks, Rathmines, Dublin 6. These reports were compiled from 1935 onwards to assist in the verification of individual applications for pensions; nearly all of the reports include brief descriptions of particular operation undertaken or planned; the date of the operation and its location; and the identity and role of those who participated. They represent a major new on-line source base for research into the Irish revolution.

The Aula Maxima of University College Cork was the venue for the annual School of History prize-giving awards held on Monday 4 February 2019. Head of School Dr Mervyn O’Driscoll reminded family, friends, and members of staff assembled that the awards celebrated the achievements of the brightest and the best in the fields of History and European Studies.

This annual event provides an opportunity to acknowledge the generosity of the donors and representatives of the families of donors of various prizes which were awarded – the John A. Murphy Prize in Irish History, the Polish Ambassador’s Prize in Polish History, the John B. O’Brien Annual Prize in History, the Leonora Hanrahan Prize in History, the James and Mary Hogan Prize in History, the Dermot Keogh Prize in Irish History, the J.J. Lee Prize in History, and the Jennifer O’Reilly Prize in Medieval History. All of the prizes carry considerable prestige, as well as providing much-appreciated financial assistance to History students. Dr O’Driscoll also noted that the winner of the John A. Murphy Prize in Irish History was also awarded a National University of Ireland Mansion House Fund Scholarship.

The International Affairs Conference is always a highlight of the Royal Irish Academy's calendar. This year’s conference 'One hundred years of Irish foreign policy: looking back, looking forwards' will take place on 23 May 2019. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, T.D. will address the conference and the plenary will be delivered by Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, MRIA, Permanent Representative of Ireland at the United Nations.

March 29th 2019 is expected to see the exit of one of the largest member states of the European Union, and our nearest neighbour, the United Kingdom. This provides us with an opportunity to reflect both on the past experiences of Irish women in and international context about how Brexit might impact our collaborations and our research going forward. How will we do women’s history in the post-Brexit era?

Irish women have long been influenced by the ideas and practices of both Britain and Europe, and in more recent years there are many ‘new Irish’ who bring to this country their international experiences. This conference will explore the theme of Irish women in international contexts from the middle ages to the present day.